Q&A: Election for the European Parliament - BBC News BBC News Q&A: Election for the European Parliament 22 May 2014 Read more about sharing. Close share panel From 22-25 May, all 28 member states of the European Union held elections for the European Parliament. Here's a guide: Who is being elected? Some 751 members of the European Parliament, known as MEPs will be elected. The number of MEPs will rise this year from the 736 elected at the last election in 2009. This is to reflect Europe's growing population, and the addition of a new member state - Croatia - which joined in 2013. How many MEPs does each country have? This is decided by the country's population. Germany, Europe's most populous nation, has 96 MEPs while Malta, Estonia, Cyprus and Luxembourg have six each. How are MEPs elected? Proportional Representation (PR) is used to determine how many MEPs each national party has, based on the share of the vote it wins. A mathematical formula known as D'Hondt is used to calculate each party's seats. The form of PR used also varies.

In some countries voters can pick one or more named candidates. This is known as an "open list", and is used in 16 states including Austria, Belgium, Italy, Poland and Sweden. Elsewhere, voters choose a party, and the party decides the order in which their candidates are elected. This is known as a 'closed list' and is used in eight countries including France, Germany and the UK (except Northern Ireland, which uses the Single Transferable Vote system ). PR is seen as benefitting smaller parties, compared with first-past-the-post system used in UK general elections. What powers do MEPs have? MEPs negotiate legislation with national government ministers - the Council - in what is called "co-decision", then parliament votes on the laws. They also have an important say in big budget areas, such as agriculture and regional aid. MEPs can press the European Commission to legislate on particular issues. They can also act on issues raised by voters who petition them directly. That was notably the case in the EU fisheries reform, where public pressure made a big impact. Their consent is also required for EU trade agreements with non-EU countries, and for admitting new states.

Since 2009 MEP's powers have expanded considerably, under the Lisbon Treaty. What are the 'groups' in the parliament? Voters elect MEPs from their own national parties, but once elected they usually join EU-wide groups with similarly-minded parties from other countries. There were seven political groups in the parliament from 2009-2014, plus a 'group' of non-attached MEPs.

In this election, the BBC will describe them as follows: •EPP (European People's Party) - centre-right, supports greater EU integration •Socialist (Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats) - Main centre-left group •Liberal (Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe) - Centrist group, very pro-integration •Green (European Greens/European Free Alliance) - Alliance of parties representing regional interest, and green parties •Conservative (European Conservatives and Reformists) - Founded after the 2009 election, this group seeks reform of the European Union •EFD (Europe of Freedom and Democracy) - Right-wing group broadly opposed to further European integration •Left (European United Left) - Far left group, containing traditional communist and socialist parties •Other (No Group or "Non-inscrits") - MEPs who have been rejected by other groups or unable to form their own How is the election organised? The election takes place over four days, with groups of countries voting on different days. British voters went to the polls on 22 May - the same day as local elections in 161 English councils, 11 councils in Northern Ireland, and five mayoral elections.

Initial results in the European election are expected from 2100 GMT on Sunday 25 May. Northern Ireland's result is declared on Monday 26 May. How will results be reported? Results for the UK will be counted by local authorities. Results will appear initially as the number of votes received by each party as each local council in each region declares. The MEPs elected for each region will be announced once the number of seats each party has won has been calculated using the D'Hondt formula . Northern Ireland uses the Single Transferable Vote system to elect its 3 MEPs. Results from Northern Ireland are expected on Monday 26 May. The BBC will report initial results for groups in the European Parliament based on exit poll projections. These projections are used by most leading European news networks. There may be some minor variations between projected results and official figures published by the European Parliament website. Fifteen facts about the European elections | Meridian - ITV News 14 April 2014 at 10:22am Fifteen facts about the European elections The South East has ten seats and the South West has 6 seats. The first elections to the European Parliament were held in 1979.

Since 1999 the UK has used a closed list system of proportional representation to elect its MEPs. In European elections in the UK electors vote for parties rather than individual candidates. Each party then lists its candidates in the order they want them elected. If a UK MEP dies or retires there is no by-election - the next candidate on the party list is invited to take their place for the rest of the parliament. The method of calculating the distribution of seats after the votes are counted is named after a nineteenth century Belgian Mathematician, Victor D’Hondt. In the last European elections in 2009 turnout varied between 95.6% in Luxembourg and 19.6% in Slovakia - UK turnout was 34.7% which is just below the average of 43%. I Every party standing in a region has to pay a deposit of £5,000 which is refunded as long as they get at least 2.5% of the vote locally. British citizens living in other EU countries are eligible to vote there and likewise EU nationals living in the UK can vote in the election in our region.

EU citizens are eligible to stand in these elections in any of the 27 EU nations, unless local laws ban them from standing in national elections - which means that Hungarian police officers, Spanish TV directors and Austrian bank directors are banned from standing. You cannot be a member of the European Parliament and be a member of a national parliament which meant Green MEP Caroline Lucas had to stand down after she became the MP for Brighton Pavilion in the 2010 General Election. The European Parliament has 754 MEPs - Germany has the largest group with 99 MEPs followed by France with 74, and the UK and Italy with 73. Ireland has 12 MEPs and the smallest groups are Cyprus, Estonia, Luxembourg and Malta with six each. The European Parliament employs 700 full-time translators and 430 staff interpreters to deal with the 23 official languages in the parliament - this accounts for a third of the parliament’s 1.7 billion Euro annual expenditure. There are almost 200 different political parties represented in the European Parliament - 12 of them from the UK.

Voters must register by May 6 in order to be able to vote on May 22 and the deadline for applying for a postal vote is 5pm on May 7. Parties will be listed alphabetically on the ballot paper (with the list of candidates under the party name), followed by an alphabetical list of any individual candidates. Electors vote by placing one cross next to the party or individual they wish to vote for. Last updated Mon 14 Apr 2014 Salaries for staff, Parliament members and Commissioners - EUabc Salaries for staff, Parliament members and Commissioners (Photo: European Commission) Salaries for staff, Parliament members and Commissioners STAFF The EU institutions employ over 47 000 civil servants on salaries far above those that they would receive in their home countries in public service. The level is similar to that of civil servants in many member states’ embassies in Brussels and in other international organisations. From July 2010 EU salaries varied from € 2 654 for the lowest paid to € 18 370 for the highest paid civil servant per month ( source: see Article 2 in the regulation mentioned below).

There are 16 salary classes with up to five categories for seniority. In addition to the salary, civil servants receive a family allowance, education allowances for kids and young students until 26 years and pension. There is also a permanent ex-pat allowance at 16 % for foreigners moving to Brussels. The minimum ex-pat allowance is € 505. The basic amount for a household allowance is € 171. The children allowance is € 373. The education allowance € 253 ( source: see Article 5 ). The unemployment allowance vary between € 1 337 and € 2 674 ( source: see Article 9 ). Civil servants working for EU institutions in other member states do not pay the local tax. The salaries are multiplied by an index for the living costs in the hosting country. Full time staff may also once buy a car without taxes. The salary scheme is decided every year by qualified majority among the ministers. The leaders of e.g. the EU information offices in the national capitals will therefore have monthly salaries much higher than those of the prime ministers. For civil servants with kids the net salary is higher than the official brut salaries.

In the highest positions the salaries may be a little less because of EU tax. During the financial crisis staff pay a 7% solidarity contribution and salaries was only increased after some years. In the lower grades the contribution is 6% only. EU staff are divided into 3 categories: • AD-persons are usually University graduates • AD-Linguists are translators and interpreters • AST-persons are secretaries and assistants The Prodi Commission introduced staff reforms with more incentive-based pay, this resulted in some resistance from the staff unions. Full-time civil servants in Brussels can also once buy cars without paying local taxes on them. EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT In the European Parliament , staff of the political groups can be employed as “temporary agents”, jobs from which they can be dismissed with three months` notice. In reality, many "temporary agents" remain in their posts for years and even decades. MEPs Members of the European Parliament have been paid the same amount in salary as their colleagues in the national parliaments. The different national payments disappeared July 2009. Now all members of the European Parliament are paid the same amount every month from the EU budget. Salary.

The salary is € 8.020,53 per month with a mild EU tax bringing it down to around € 6.250,37 (2014 figures). Member states are allowed to add a national taxation if the national taxation is higher than the EU tax. The salary is linked to the general salary scheme for the EU. MEPs will always receive 38.5 % of the salary for an EU judge who always receive 12.5 % more than the highest civil servant in the EU scheme of salaries. MEPs leaving the Parliament after 3 years membership may have an "end of term" allowance where the salary continue in up to 2 years. Daily allowance. In addition, MEPs will receive daily allowances for each day they sign in in the Parliaments` buildings in Brussels or Strasbourg. The daily allowance is € 304 per day. It is meant to cover rent and extra household but is also paid to members e.g. living in and elected in Brussels. A MEP can sign in 10 pm in the evening and 7 am in the morning and receive 2 days' daily allowance without having taken part in any meeting or other relevant parliamentary activity.

However, on days when plenary votes are held, if MEPs miss more than half the roll-call votes this allowance is reduced by half. For meetings outside the EU, the allowance is € 152 with hotel and breakfast bills refunded separately. Assistants. MEPs can hire staff to assist them in their job for an amount of € 19,709 per month (2011 figures). General allowance. To cover secretarial costs at home MEPs receive € 4,299 per month in a general allowance (2014 figures). They do not need to deliver any proof and MEPs can just use them as an extra salary. All MEPs receive the same pay whether they are taking part in meetings and are efficient or not. Some MEPs never or very seldom appear in the meetings. They can still have their full salary but their secretarial allowance can be halved. Distance and duration allowances. Previously many members could have an extra salary through surpluses on travel allowances. From July 2009, MEPs have been paid the real costs in travel allowance, which means that everyone can travel business class also on very short distances.

In addition they receive a distance allowance and a duration allowance for one travel a week. The distance allowance starts with minimum € 22 if the MEP has his/her home up to 50 km from the meeting place. From 51 – 250 km, a MEP can add € 0.12 per km. From 251 – 1000 km he/she can add € 0.06 per km. From 1000 and upwards € 0.03 per km. The duration allowance is paid for 2-4 hours with € 37.25. For 4-6 hours € 74.5. More than 6 hours € 149 and with one night included a full extra daily allowance. If members travel by car they will be reimbursed € 0.50 per km and the cost of any ferry crossing required. Travels at home allowances. MEPs are also paid for travels in the member state. MEPs from Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, The Netherlands and Slovenia can be reimbursed for up to 8,000 km per year.

MEPs from Bulgaria, The Czech Republic, Ireland, Greece, Hungary, Austria, Portugal and Slovakia can be reimbursed up to 16,000 km. MEPs from Germany, Spain, France, Italy, Poland, Romania, Finland, Sweden and the United Kingdom can receive up to 24,000 km. MEPs from e.g. oversea territories in France can also receive 24 flight travels to and from these territories each year. Travel abroad allowance. In addition, MEPs can use € 4,243 per year for travels to other countries in the world, but there need to be an invitation for a meeting or seminar (2010 figures). Insurances. MEPs will have insurances against sickness and invalidity and theft, paid by Parliament. The EP pay 2/3 of the contributions to the insurances. If invalid, a MEP will receive the annual salary multiplied by 8. All MEPs receive the same pay whether they are taking part in meetings and are efficient or not. Some MEPs never or very seldom appear in the meetings. They can still have their full salary but their secretarial allowance can be halved. No parental leave.

There is no parental leave in the EP for MEPs. Pension. MEPs receive a pension paid directly from the EU. It is also calculated as a percentage of the pension for an EU judge. It can be paid when a MEP reaches the age of 63. The amount is 3.5 % of the salary for each year of membership in the EP. The pension cannot be above 70 % of the salary. This means that seniority above 20 years does not count for pension rights. Member states are allowed to tax the EU pension until the EU Court could judge otherwise. When the new “Members Statute” was adopted, leading MEPs were sure that the Court would outlaw national taxation of MEPs` new EU salaries. The Danish government is taxing both salaries and pensions. Extra pension today. Previous MEPs receive their pension from the nation states taxed in the nation states. In addition, they can draw on a voluntary pension scheme set up by the European Parliament itself. MEPs paid 1/3 of the contribution while the EU budget paid 2/3 of the costs. Secret list. The European Parliament has refused to publish the list of members of the scheme.

The German magazine Stern has published the list of those who have registered as members of the scheme in Luxembourg. There is in addition a completely secret list of members also receiving the voluntary pension but not yet brought to the public. In December 2008, there were 1,114 MEPs, former MEPs and surviving spouses and dependents on the scheme. Of those only 421 MEPs and 266 former MEPs were publicly registered in the pension fund in Luxembourg. The secret list of members is almost just as big as the list published by Stern. There was also an invalidity scheme where no MEP could receive less than 35 % of the salary of an EU judge if the MEP has to leave on grounds of invalidity. The pension fund is running a huge deficit. The Parliament have therefore raised the pension age from 60 in the old scheme to 63. This is also the pension age in the new fully EU financed pension system. Secret contracts. Before July 2009, MEPs could employ personal assistants on so-called “private contracts”. Every MEP could use around €17,000 per month for this purpose. The list of employed assistants were never made public.

In 2008, the Parliament established an internal audit report showing fraud with the money foreseen for assistants. A majority in the European Parliament s Conference of Presidents refused to publish the report even if all names were deleted in a special edition only delivered to members of the budget control committee for reading in a special confidential reading room. This scandal led to another reform. Today the assistants hired in Brussels are employed on new transparent rules in real EU employment contracts and no new family members can be salaried. MEPs can continue to cheat with assistants allowances paid at home and 25 % of the budget for assistants, which can be used for the buy of different services. MEP´s have to show boarding cards to have travels reimbursed. COMMISSIONERS The basic salary of a Commissioner is € 20 666 per month. This is 12,5 % more than the highest civil servant in the EU. The five Vice-Presidents each earn 25 % more, this is € 22 963 in monthly basic salary. The President receives 38 % more, this is € 25,351 per month. Figures are from 1 July 2010.

The salaries are NOT taxed in their member states. Instead, a low tax is paid to the EU. The salaries are multiplied by 1.15 to include a residence allowance at 15 % of the salaries. Commissioners also receive a family allowance, € 171 plus 2% of the basic salary and an entertainment allowance of € 607 per month. The Vice Presidents receive € 911 per month and the President € 1 418. For each child they receive € 373 and an additional education allowance, € 253. When a Commissioner starts in office, he/she receives two month extra pay. When leaving they receive one extra month salary plus a transitional allowance for 3 years. This amount is between 40 and 65 % of their last basic salary, depending on how many years they have served as Commissioners. After 5 year a Commissioner, receive 55 % of their salary for the first 3 years. Commissioners receive a daily allowance when they are travelling. They have 5 % more than the highest civil servants do. Former Commissioners receive a pension from the age of 65, also with the low EU tax.

The pension is calculated as 4.275 % of the basic salary for each year up to a maximum of 70 % of the final basic salary. The pension can be paid from the age of 60 with a reduction to 70 %. Commissioners can have their EU pensions paid in addition to all national pensions. A pensioned Commissioner with a national pension as a MP or/and a MEP, a pension as minister and a private pension from a private job can accumulate all pensions with no reductions. Former Commissioners will therefore have net pensions much higher than the national prime ministers will. On the other hand, both salaries and pensions for Commissioners are lower than what is paid for the leaders of many banks and private companies. Here we don’t judge on what is reasonable – we only bring the facts to the public so that voters can judge on salaries for their public servants. NATIONAL SALARIES FOR MPs Italy had the highest salaries for national MPs and MEPs until July 2009. An Italian representative received more than €12,000 per month. A Bulgarian MP was paid €1,040 per month. The Prime Minister €1611 and the President of the country €2076.

A Romanian MEP received €830 per month before the European elections in 2009. The salary of the Romanian Prime Minister was €2,090 per month. The Romanian President received €2,264 per month. From July 2009, a Romanian MEP has received 3-4 times the salary of their prime minister and the president. Moreover, this is in addition to daily allowances and secretariat allowances where MEPs shall deliver no proof of spending. The new rules for MEPs have been adopted unanimously by all governments in the Council of Ministers . The rules can be found in Regulation No 422/67/EEC for Commissioners. The salaries for staff can be found in Regulation No 1239/2010 . The rules for MEPs can be found in the Members Statute from 2004. The figures from the European Parliament have been published in the Official Journal and at the homepage of the EP. Some figures here are based on the decision by the bureau of the European Parliament and will maybe need to be adjusted.

MEPs adopt pay and perks reform: (BBC) :32010R1239:EN:HTML Article 5 With effect from 1 July 2010, the basic amount of the household allowance referred to in Article 1(1) of Annex VII to the Staff Regulations shall be EUR 170,52. With effect from 1 July 2010, the amount of the dependent child allowance referred to in Article 2(1) of Annex VII to the Staff Regulations shall be EUR 372,61. With effect from 1 July 2010, the amount of the education allowance referred to in Article 3(1) of Annex VII to the Staff Regulations shall be EUR 252,81. With effect from 1 July 2010, the amount of the education allowance referred to in Article 3(2) of Annex VII to the Staff Regulations shall be EUR 91,02.

With effect from 1 July 2010, the minimum amount of the expatriation allowance referred to in Article 69 of the Staff Regulations and in the second subparagraph of Article 4(1) of Annex VII thereto shall be EUR 505,39. With effect from 1 July 2010, the expatriation allowance referred to in Article 134 of the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants shall be EUR 363,31. Article 6 With effect from 1 January 2011, the kilometric allowance referred to in Article 8(2) of Annex VII to the Staff Regulations shall be adjusted as follows: EUR 0 for every km from 0 to 200 km To the above kilometric allowance a flat-rate supplement shall be added, amounting to: — EUR 189,48 if the distance by train between the place of employment and the place of origin is between 725 km and 1 450 km, — EUR 378,93 if the distance by train between the place of employment and the place of origin is greater than 1 450 km.

Article 7 With effect from 1 July 2010, the daily subsistence allowance referred to in Article 10(1) of Annex VII to the Staff Regulations shall be: — EUR 39,17 for an official who is entitled to the household allowance, EUR 31,58 for an official who is not entitled to the household allowance. Article 8 With effect from 1 July 2010, the lower limit for the installation allowance referred to in Article 24(3) of the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants shall be: — EUR 1 114,99 for a servant who is entitled to the household allowance, EUR 662,97 for a servant who is not entitled to the household allowance. Article 9 With effect from 1 July 2010, for the unemployment allowance referred to in the second subparagraph of Article 28a(3) of the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants, the lower limit shall be EUR 1 337,19, the upper limit shall be EUR 2 674,39.

With effect from 1 July 2010, the standard allowance referred to in Article 28a(7) shall be EUR 1 215,63. European Elections 2014: Frequently Asked Questions European Elections 2014: Frequently Asked Questions When are the elections taking place and how will they work? European elections are held every five years. The next elections will take place 22-25 May 2014. In the UK they are on Thursday 22nd May. Each member state has a fixed number of Members of the European Parliament (MEPs). For the UK there are 73 MEPs. The allocation of seats is laid down in the European Union treaties on the basis of the “degressive proportionality” principle: countries with larger populations have more seats than those with smaller ones, but the latter have more seats than strict proportionality would imply. For the 2014 election, under the Lisbon Treaty, the number of MEPs ranges from six each for Malta, Luxembourg, Cyprus and Estonia to 96 for Germany, making a total of 751. Elections to the European Parliament are largely governed by national electoral laws and traditions.

Thus, each Member State decides whether to use an open or a closed list system. Some Member States, such as the UK, divide their territory up into regional electoral districts, while others have a single electoral district. In the UK there are 12 electoral districts. However, there are common EU rules which lay down that the elections must be by direct universal suffrage as well as free and confidential. MEPs must be elected on the basis of proportional representation. The election period is determined at EU level but countries may decide on the exact day of the elections according to their voting traditions. European elections usually span four days, with voting in the UK and the Netherlands taking place on Thursday and residents of most other countries casting their vote on Sunday. EU citizens living in an EU country other than their country of origin are entitled to vote and stand in European elections in their country of residence but national law may lay down specific procedures for how to do this. One of the first tasks of the incoming Parliament will be to elect a new President of the European Commission (the EU’s executive body). The Lisbon Treaty states that the choice for this post must take account of the election results. Candidates for the remaining Commission portfolios will have to pass a tough parliamentary vetting process too. .

I'm not sure if I'm registered to vote, how do I find out? By calling your local elections office or going to What is the deadline for applying for postal and proxy voting? The deadline for applying for postal voting is 5pm on 7th May 2014. The deadline for applying for a proxy vote is 5pm on 14th May 2014. In Northern Ireland the deadline for applying for a postal or proxy vote is 1st May 2014. . What is the deadline for returning postal votes? Postal votes must be received by 10pm on pollling day. . If I have a postal vote and have missed the post/forgotten to send it, can I still vote? Yes, just take your postal vote along to the polling station between 7am and 10pm on election day. . I am a British citizen living abroad. How do I register to vote in the European elections? You can register as an overseas voter as long as you were registered to vote in the UK during the last 15 years. The deadline for voting by post for British citizens is the same as for domestic voters: by close of poll on election day.

You can also apply to vote by proxy if you are living abroad. . I am an EU citizen living in the UK and want to know where and how I can register to vote in the European elections. As an EU citizen and as long as you are resident here in the UK you can register to vote in the European elections. In addition to registering you will need to fill out a European Parliament Voter Registration Form to declare that you will not be voting in the elections in your home country. . Who is standing for election in the UK? The main political parties have announced their candidates. Other parties have yet to announce their candidates. The Regional Returning Officers for all the European electoral regions in the UK will announce all candidates in their region once the deadline for nominations has passed on 24th April (22nd April for the South West). . How does the voting system work? The voting system for the European elections is by proportional representation - closed list - voting for a party or an independent candidate. For Northern Ireland the Single Transferable Vote is used (ranking the candidates in order of preference). The system is explained here: . How many MEPs are there in total? There are currently 766 MEPs in the European Parliament.

In the last elections, in 2009, all 736 MEPs were elected. In 2011, 18 additional MEPs brought the total to 754 and when Croatia joined in 2013 the number increased by 12 to 766. The Treaty of Lisbon allows for 751 but this has been temporarily raised until the end of this parliamentary term in 2014. In the 2014 elections some countries will be losing seats to bring the number down to 751. The UK remains unaffected by the readjustment and will continue to have 73 MEPs also after the 2014 elections. When will the results be announced? Although counting can start after close of poll in the UK, results can only be declared after 9pm on Sunday 25th May (after the last close of poll in Europe). The counts are overseen by Local Returning Officers who report the results to the Regional Returning Officers. The RROs will then declare the results for the region some time after 9pm on Sunday 25th. . How are the European Parliament President and committee chairs appointed?

At the first plenary session after the European elections Parliament elects a new President. The 14 new Vice-Presidents and Quaestors are also elected. All elected offices in the European Parliament, i.e. President, Vice-President, Quaestor, Committee Chair and Vice-Chair, and Delegation Chair and Vice-Chair, are renewed every two and half years, so once in the 5-year legislative term. Current office-holders can be confirmed for a second mandate. In electing the President, Vice-Presidents and Quaestors, account should be taken of the need to ensure an overall fair representation of Member States and political views. European Parliament President The first act of a newly-elected European Parliament is to elect its President. If s/he is re-elected, the outgoing President will preside over the election of his or her successor. Otherwise this task is performed by one of the outgoing Vice-Presidents in order of precedence or, in the absence of any of them, the Member having held office for the longest period (Rule 12 of Parliament's Rules of Procedure). Candidates for the Presidency may be proposed either by a political group or by a minimum of forty MEPs (Rule 13).

The election is held by secret ballot. Unusually for a vote in the European Parliament, MEPs take part by marking their preferred candidate on a paper ballot and placing it in a ballot box. The process is overseen by eight tellers, chosen by lot from among the MEPs. To be elected, a candidate must win an absolute majority of the valid votes cast, i.e. 50% plus one (Rule 14). Blank or spoiled ballots do not count in calculating the majority required. If no candidate is elected at the first ballot, the same or other candidates may be nominated for a second round of voting under the same conditions. This can be repeated at a third round if necessary, again with the same rules. If no-one is elected at the third ballot, the two highest-scoring candidates in that round proceed to a fourth ballot, where the one receiving the greater number of votes wins. (Should there be a tie at this stage, the older candidate is declared the winner).

The newly-elected President then takes the chair and is entitled to make an opening address (although s/he may also choose to make just a few short remarks, with a more formal speech at a later date), before presiding over the election of the Vice-Presidents and Quaestors. Vice-Presidents and Quaestors Candidates for the posts of Vice-President and Quaestor may also be presented either by a political group or by at least 40 Members. The vice-presidential election is also held using a paper-based secret ballot, with a single ballot paper. Candidates must obtain the support of an absolute majority of those casting valid ballots, with a second round held under the same conditions if all 14 posts are not filled on the first round. A third round may then be held if there are still vacancies, at which point a relative majority is enough for election to one of the remaining positions. The order in which candidates are elected determines the order of precedence (Rule 15). If the number of candidates proposed is the same as the number of positions to be filled - fourteen - then they will be elected by acclamation, with a vote held simply to determine the order of precedence.

A similar procedure is followed for the election of the Quaestors (Rule 16). Vice-Presidents may replace the President in performing his or her duties when necessary, including chairing plenary sittings. (Rule 21) They are also members of the Bureau, the body responsible for all administrative, staff and organisational matters in Parliament. The five Quaestors deal with administrative matters directly affecting MEPs themselves. (Rule 26). Committee chairs After the constitutive sitting of Parliament (and after the part session in the mid-term, when officeholders are elected), Parliament's standing committees will elect their Chairs and Vice-Chairs. Chairs and Vice-Chairs may also be confirmed for a second mandate in the elections taking place in the mid-term of the legislature. Parliament's inter-parliamentary delegations will do likewise. Each standing committee elects its Bureau, consisting of a Chair and of Vice-Chairs, in separate ballots. The number of Vice-Chairs to be elected is determined by the full Parliament upon a proposal by the Conference of Presidents. Where the number of candidates corresponds to the number of seats, the election may take place by acclamation.

If this is not the case, the election takes place by secret ballot. If there is only one candidate, he or she will have to be backed by an absolute majority of the votes cast, including votes for and against. If, at the first ballot, there is more than one candidate for each seat, the candidate who obtains an absolute majority of the votes cast, including votes against and in favour, is elected. At the second ballot, the candidate who obtains the highest number of votes is elected. In the event of a tie, the oldest candidate prevails. As is the case for electing the President, in the event of a second ballot, new candidates may be nominated. Parliament’s standing interparliamentary delegations will also elect their Chairs and Vice-Chairs, using the same procedure as for committees (Rule 191 and 198). . How are political groups formed? MEPs from different EU countries form political groups on the basis of their political affinities. To get the formal status of a political group it must consist of at least 25 MEPs, elected in at least one quarter of the Member States (i.e. at least 7). No MEP may belong to more than one political group.

When a group is set up, the President of Parliament must be notified in a statement specifying the name of the group, its members and its presidium. Normally, Parliament does not evaluate the political affinity of group members. By forming a group, MEPs accept by definition that they have political affinity. Only when this is denied by the MEPs concerned Parliament will have to evaluate whether the group has in fact been constituted in conformity with the rules. Political groups are provided with a secretariat and administrative facilities, funded from Parliament's budget. Parliament’s Bureau sets the rules for how these funds and facilities are managed and audited “Non-attached" MEPs (i.e. those who do not belong to a political group) are also provided with a secretariat and have rights under the rules set by the Bureau. The funds available are intended to cover the administrative and operational cost of a group's staff as well as expenditure on political and information activities in connection with the European Union's political activities. The budget may not be used to finance any form of European, national, regional or local electoral campaign or to finance political parties at national and European level or their dependent bodies. How are the Commission President and Commissioners appointed?

Commission President Under the Lisbon Treaty, Parliament's role in electing the Commission President has become more prominent. The European Council, composed of the EU's heads of state and government, need to base their proposal for a candidate Commission President on the results of the European Parliament elections. The European Parliament will then vote on the proposed candidate, who will need a qualified majority, i.e. at least half of all MEPs, to be elected. If the candidate does not obtain the required majority, the European Council, acting by a qualified majority, will have one month in which to propose a new candidate. (Lisbon Treaty Article 9 D, paragraph 7). Commissioners The Council, in agreement with the Commission President-elect, adopts the list of designated members of the Commission. These Commissioners-designate first appear before parliamentary committees in their prospective fields of responsibility. The hearings are held in public. Each committee then meets in camera to draw up its evaluation of the candidate's expertise and performance, which is sent to the President of the Parliament and which in the past, has prompted candidates to withdraw. The Commission’s President-elect next presents the College of Commissioners and its programme at a sitting of Parliament.

The Commission President, the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and other members of the Commission, then need to be approved in a vote of consent by Parliament. Parliament may defer the vote until the following sitting (European Parliament Rule 106 (5)). After the President and Commissioners have been approved by Parliament, they are appointed by the Council, acting by a qualified majority. In the event of a substantial portfolio change during the Commission's term of office, the filling of a vacancy or the appointment of a new Commissioner following the accession of a new Member State, the Commissioners concerned again appear before the relevant committees. What is a political party at European level? A political party at European level is an organisation with a political programme, which is composed of national parties and individuals as members and which is represented in several EU Member States. See Article 10 paragraph 4 of the Treaty on European Union and Article 224 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union. How are political parties at European level funded? Since July 2004, European political parties at European level have been able to receive annual funding from the European Parliament. The funding takes the form of an operating grant.

It can cover up to 85% of the expenditure of a party, while the rest should be covered by own resources, such as membership fees and donations. The grant can be used to meet the expenditure directly linked to the objectives set out in the party's political programme, such as:  meetings and conferences,  administrative, personnel and travel costs, or  campaign costs connected to European elections. The grant may not be used to meet expenditure such as, inter alia:  campaign costs for referenda and elections (except for European elections),  direct or indirect funding of national parties, election candidates and political foundations both at national and at European level, or  debts and debt service charges. What is a political foundation at European level? A political foundation at European level is an organisation affiliated with a political party at European level which underpins and complements the objectives of that party. A political foundation at European level observes analyses and contributes to debate on European public policy issues. It also engages in related activities, such as organising seminars, training, conferences and studies. What are "Intergroups" and how do they work?

Intergroups are unofficial groupings of MEPs who are interested in a particular topic which does not necessarily fall within the scope of the European Parliament's normal work but is important to wider society. Intergroups hold informal exchanges of views and promote exchanges between MEPs and civil society. As intergroups are not official organs of Parliament, they do not express Parliament's views. They must not engage in any activities which might be confused with Parliament's official activities. Parliament's presidium has laid down conditions for establishing intergroups, which are formed at the start of each parliamentary term (for example an application must be signed by at least three political groups and a yearly declaration of financial interests is required). If these conditions are met, political groups may provide intergroups with logistical support. Chairs of intergroups must declare any support they receive in cash or kind. These declarations must be updated every year and are held in a public file. List of intergroups and rules on intergroups What happens to legislation unfinished at the end of this parliamentary term? Although MEPs do their utmost to finish legislative procedures before the current parliamentary term ends, inevitably some legislation will remain pending before the May 2014 elections.

To accommodate this, the so-called "principle of continuity" establishes that all legislation voted in plenary, whether in first or second reading or in consultation, will keep its legal status for the next Parliament. MEPs in the new Parliament are legally bound by the text approved in the previous term. This means that after the elections, the Council can approve the previous Parliament's first reading and thus bring the legislation into force. This differs from what happens in most of the EU's national parliaments, where all unfinished legislation dealt with by the previous parliament falls. However, Rule 59 of the European Parliament's rules of procedure allows the new Parliament (upon request by a committee and in agreement with the Conference of Presidents - the EP President and political group leaders) to ask the Commission to refer its proposal(s) to Parliament again, so as to allow the new House to take its own position. In the event of changes in procedures or legal basis (as happened with the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty when many topics for which Parliament previously was merely consulted came under the co-decision procedure), the new Parliament may take a new position on any of those files. All non-legislative resolutions fall with the change of term.

Question: Four countries elect 6 MEPs – Cyprus, Malta, Luxembourg and which other?
Answer: ESTONIA